Cruz, Tortilla Coast Caucus spotted again

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, invited conservative members of the House to his office Tuesday night for a secret pow-wow (AP Photo).

The Tortilla Coast Caucus struck again on Tuesday night, with yet another closed-door meeting hosted by junior Republican Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas.

House conservatives, including ten from Texas, gathered in Cruz’s office Tuesday to discuss immigration and GOP leadership elections that will take place after November’s midterm elections.

Cruz’s last secret meeting with House conservatives was held during the government shutdown at Tortilla Coast, a Tex-Mex restaurant on Capitol Hill. Tuesday night’s gathering lasted around 90 minutes, and Cruz’s office said only that the get-together was a “private meeting.”

Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who was present at the meeting, told CQ Roll Call that Cruz facilitated the meeting and the group “talked about a variety of different public policy issues.”

“It was (a) no-agenda, spontaneous discussion,” Brooks said.

Brooks also confirmed that the group discussed comments made by House Speaker John Boehner on the subject of immigration earlier this week.

Cruz has been one of the most vocal critics of Republican leaders, and led the movement to block a Boehner-backed immigration plan earlier this year. He rallied support to block the plan by calling it “amnesty,” and saying it would keep Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the Senate.

Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, was one of two Texas Republicans (the other being Steve Stockman, R-Clear Lake) who voted against Boehner in his bid for speaker in 2013. Gohmert told Roll Call he was invited but was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting in Sen. Cruz’s office.

And while it’s unclear what exactly was the intention of Tuesday’s meeting, Cruz has made it clear in recent months that he thinks GOP leadership needs an overhaul in the House.

In a conversation Tuesday with ForAmerica, a conservative group, Cruz said Washington’s Republican leaders need to stick to their political platforms and their constituents’ needs.

“If you look to Washington, you will be nothing but demoralized and despondent,” Cruz said. “The greatest divide we have in this country is between entrenched politicians in both parties and the American people.”